Chapter 260: Wang Zhi

Xiang Keluo did not answer; he scanned the surroundings.

Quickly.

The three Yiji brothers, who had long lost consciousness, appeared in Xiang Keluo's line of sight, and the only one capable of movement, Reiju, was also restrained by Zoro.

Counting the Germa 66 ruling class, including Vinsmoke Judge, who was severely injured by Xiang Keluo himself, almost the entire leadership of Germa 66 was now under Gao Wen's group's control.

At this moment, you dare to negotiate with me?

"It seems you haven't quite grasped the situation."

Xiang Keluo looked at Judge with a mocking expression, making no attempt to conceal his derision.

"What do you mean?!"

Judge's heart skipped a beat, and a trace of displeasure inevitably appeared on his face.

Although Germa has no territory, this does not prevent it from existing as a nation; this is recognized by the World Government, and the Vinsmoke family is the royal family of this nation.

Even the Navy is not allowed to directly attack the royal family of a World Government member nation without authorization from the World Government.

This is an ironclad rule written into the World Government's laws.

"You must know your place!"

"Marine!"

"If the World Government learns of your actions now—!"

"You have no qualification to negotiate with me!"

Xiang Keluo shook his head, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Judge was exactly like looking at a clown.

"I give you two choices."

"First, you take Germa and your affiliated pirates and leave; I will return those few dolls to you."

"Second, Germa is erased from the seas tonight."

Whoosh—!

The sea wind howled, kicking up dust from the ground.

For a moment, Judge forgot even the pain in his body; his brain had a momentary shutdown.

Germa roams the North Blue, and as the leader of Germa, Judge naturally had dealt with the Navy many times.

Every time the Navy learned of his identity as the king of a member nation, they turned a blind eye to his actions; even when they could not stand it, they mostly issued verbal warnings, and large-scale conflicts had never erupted.

The Navy is nothing but the World Government's dogs!

This cognition was already carved into the instincts of Judge and his people, so that even now, despite his defeat, he still maintained that haughty posture.

But the development of events now was somewhat beyond his expectations.

"I..."

"Three!"

Xiang Keluo, losing patience, held up three fingers, then immediately bent down his ring finger:

"Two!"

"One—!"

"I accept!"

Judge shouted out loud, fearing that in the next instant, Xiang Keluo would directly attack Germa.

At this moment, Judge felt his mind was incredibly clear, with a level of clarity he had never experienced in his life.

In the brief clash just now, what he realized most deeply was not how sharp Xiang Keluo's slash was, but the speed that was invisible to the naked eye; no, not just that, it was a speed that even Observation Haki could not detect.

With such speed enhanced, and with a blade sharp enough to cut through Sea Prism Stone, Xiang Keluo could pierce through all of Germa's warships in just a few minutes.

Yiji, Niji, and others, having lost the power to resist, could only wait to die.

This meant that the man before him, at this very moment, possessed the power to decide Germa's fate.

What World Government-recognized nation, what laws restricting the Navy's actions; in the face of absolute power, they are all nonsense!

Yiji and the others are my hope, the hope of Germa; they cannot be lost here.

The fleet behind me is even more the cornerstone of restoring the nation; it too cannot be buried in the sea here.

In a single thought.

Judge had already made his decision in his heart:

"I choose one."

"I accept your conditions."

"Heh~"

Xiang Keluo slowly lowered his hand, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth:

"In this regard, you are far inferior to those few dolls over there."

"At the very least, they do not fear, are not swayed by personal emotions, and certainly do not waste so much time on a question with such clear options."

Judge's face turned red, then white.

Tonight's encounter almost made him recall the year Germa was defeated and lost the North Blue.

It was the same being crushed by absolute power, the same helplessness.

The anger in his heart almost made him burn up, but facing Xiang Keluo at this moment, he could only strive to suppress it completely.

Impulsiveness means death.

Judge understood this point clearly, and was even more unwilling to die in such a wretched manner; thus, he could only live on in an even more wretched way.

"Can I take Yiji and the others away now?!"

"Of course not."

Xiang Keluo shook his head:

"Once the matter of Seven Waters Capital is concluded, I will let them leave."

"Are you playing me?!"

Gaji's teeth were clenched tight, the fury in his tone barely suppressed:

"Countless powerful figures are currently hiding in the shadows, among them even monsters like Jin Shizi, Big Mom, and Wang Zhi, who once fought against Roger."

"Even with your power, it is impossible to protect Seven Waters Capital; keeping them there until that time is simply sentencing them to death. I cannot agree to such a deal!"

"Sigh..."

Xiang Keluo sighed, and when he raised his eyes again, killing intent surged from his entire body like a tide; the surrounding qi rushed forth, blowing his clothes aloft, making him appear utterly terrifying.

"Then let me rephrase it now."

"Either I slaughter you all right now, or you take a gamble that those few puppets still have a slight chance of survival."

Gaji opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse, yet nothing came out.

"You had best pray that we can hold Seven Waters Capital."

Before the sound of his voice had even settled.

Xiang Keluo vanished into thin air, sweeping across the battlefield like a wild wind and disappearing from sight; vanishing along with him were the figures of the Yonji brothers and Reiju.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The pirates surrounding them continued their relentless assault, battle cries filling the sky as artillery fire flew everywhere.

Gaji stood in the port for a long while, before finally helplessly activating his battle suit, leaping up, and embarking on his return journey.

It was only at this moment that he realized he had never had a choice from the very beginning.

Thud!

Gaji crashed heavily onto the deck of the snail ship, his eyes already bloodshot.

"Navy!"

"Navy!"

"Navy!"

Three consecutive angry roars erupted from Gaji's mouth; at this moment, he resembled a wounded male lion, wanting to resist yet utterly unable to overcome the hunter's guns and cannons no matter what.

No.

Compared to his opponent, he was not some male lion at all.

Nor was he any Garuda, that strange bird which feeds on dragons; this nickname now seemed more like a joke.

He turned his head, looking back at the distant port that was nearly ablaze, barely suppressing the fury in his heart.

"Yonji and the others are Germa's most perfect masterpieces; there can be no loss!"

"No matter how strong that fellow is, he cannot surpass Big Mom, Wang Zhi, or Jin Shizi; the fall of Seven Waters Capital is only a matter of time."

"If he could coerce me once, he can do it a second time; furthermore, when Seven Waters Capital lacks sufficient combat strength, there is even a possibility he might force me to join the battle."

"I cannot let this continue!"

"But..."

Recalling Xiang Keluo's overwhelming power, Gaji felt nothing but a surge of helplessness.

Not only were Yonji and the other three defeated, but even his own battle suit and battle spear were easily destroyed by that man; such power might not be enough to contend with Big Mom or Jin Shizi, but it was absolutely not something Gaji could match.

"In that case..."

As he pondered, a trace of determination gradually emerged in Gaji's eyes; he slowly took a Den Den Mushi from his robe and dialed.

Very quickly.

An old, hoarse voice came from the other end of the line.

"Is this the brat from Germa?!"

"Ah."

Gaji responded with a single sound, yet his gaze remained fixed on the distant port; his pupils reflected the surging artillery fire afar, while a fire of resolve burned within them.

It nearly ignited his very soul!

"Wang Zhi, I agree to your terms; Germa can provide you with sufficient troops, and we can even share technologies beyond bloodline modification."

"But I require you to act and save a few people from within Seven Waters Capital; with your abilities, accomplishing this should not be difficult."

"Oh my~"

On the other end of the line, the man named Wang Zhi sighed, his voice revealing a hint of lacking confidence:

"If this were a few days ago, this request would pose no problem, but now I fear it will be difficult."

"Do not be too greedy!"

Gaji assumed the other party was trying to hike up the price on the spot, and the fury he had yet to vent was fully ignited at this moment:

"I have already made enormous concessions; the price you offered is the lowest among several sellers, and I can hardly say whether I will even break even."

"That is not the issue."

Wang Zhi shook his head, recalling the battle just now, and displayed an expression of lingering fear:

"Seven Waters Capital hides a monster; that body of power is comparable even to my prime, I suffered a slight setback at his hands, and now I can only retreat temporarily."

"Is that fellow stronger than you?"

Xiang Keluo's cold and stern face floated through Gaji's mind, and subconsciously he felt Wang Zhi was lying.

He had experienced the era in which Wang Zhi lived, and knew all too well just how powerful those monsters who killed their way out of millions truly were.

Was Xiang Keluo strong?!

Very strong!

To say it without exaggeration, if Xiang Keluo stood on Germa's side, the unification of the North Blue by Germa would absolutely not be merely a slogan as it is now.

But even between the mighty Xiang Keluo and Wang Zhi, an insurmountable chasm still lies.

"This is impossible."

Judge flatly denied:

"I just fought him. That guy is strong, but he is absolutely no match for you."

"Perhaps we are not even talking about the same person. That guy is a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user; his speed is very fast, and the power of his slashes is extremely great."

Silence fell on the other end of the phone for a moment. After a full several seconds of silence, Wang Zhi's weak voice finally came through; obviously, the "small loss" he mentioned was in quotes.

"What a coincidence."

Judge was so angry he laughed:

"What I encountered here is also a Zoan-type ability; the speed is terrifying, and the power of the slashes..."

Judge looked down at the war spear in his hand, broken in two, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"A war spear with hardness comparable to Seastone couldn't even block that guy for an instant."

"Hah?!"

Wang Zhi's face was full of confusion; when he reacted, several degrees of anger had already entered his voice:

"Since you witnessed the battle on my side, you need not put on such an act. Let this deal be!"

"Beep—!"

The phone was hung up.

Judge looked at the Den Den Mushi receiver in his hand, momentarily bewildered, then turned his head again to gaze at the port of Water 7.

He saw a figure entirely crimson rushing in from the other side of Water 7, landing with a boom in the port.

"This posture and ominous aura... another Zoan-type Devil Fruit user?!"

"Wait."

"Is the person Wang Zhi told me about really the same one, or does Water 7 now have two men with similar fighting styles who are equally powerful?!"

Judge suddenly remembered Wang Zhi's words just now.

He had dealt with Wang Zhi for many years; the latter was one of Germa's important buyers, so he naturally knew Wang Zhi's character well.

Calling it a "small loss," barring the unexpected, he was most likely mentally broken by the opponent.

"Retreat!"

"We retreat!"

In the port.

When Gao Wen landed, Xiang Keluo had already darted out from a nearby building.

At first glance, Xiang Keluo noticed Gao Wen's damaged clothes; those were clearly traces left by slashes.

Although they did not break through Gao Wen's defense, leaving only a few white scratch marks, they made him look extremely wretched.

But Xiang Keluo knew this was an extremely dangerous signal.

"Has a strong person capable of fighting you already appeared on Jin's side?!"

"You could say so."

Gao Wen spoke in a calm tone, one hand pressing the long blade at his waist, while looking toward the attacking sea in the distance, explaining:

"Jin encountered an old man over there."

"Because of his advanced age, his swordsmanship, Haki, and stamina have all begun to decline, but his ability is quite tricky; he's as slippery as a loach."

"Paramecia-type: Teleportation Fruit. He can instantly appear at any location within one kilometer and can also teleport humans, though the stamina consumed is correspondingly greater."

Xiang Keluo raised an eyebrow.

Such an ability required no further description; one could already feel its monstrous nature.

But Gao Wen's appearance here already indicated the result of the battle.

Only hearing Gao Wen continue:

"No matter how fast he runs, once someone predicts the landing point of his teleportation, he can only wait to die."

"Your Observation Haki that predicts the future? Then he deserved his bad luck."

A smile curled Gao Wen's lips; he slowly drew Guanshi Zhengzong and said calmly:

"Leave this place to me from now on; you retreat first."

Xiang Keluo nodded, then told Gao Wen about the battle situation here and the agreement he had reached with Judge.

Gao Wen naturally had no objection to this.

After all, eliminating a major power and gaining several sets of Germa battle suits for free, aside from Vinsmoke Yonji suffering a minor injury, could almost be called a total victory.

On the other side, Zoro, after noticing the commotion here, did not hesitate for a single moment and immediately shouldered the unconscious Sanji, retreating toward the deep rear.

Vinsmoke Reiju looked at the Marine Defense Force in the distance, which had also begun to retreat, and for a moment felt somewhat puzzled:

"The tide of battle has just turned; this is the time to expand the advantage, or even crush the pirates in one blow. Why retreat?"

Zoro glanced at her, recalling Reiju's attitude toward Sanji just now, and spoke to remind her:

"The coming battle is not something we can interfere with; even staying here to watch carries the risk of being caught in the crossfire."

"If you don't want to die, follow me!"

Reiju couldn't help swallowing hard, looking at Gao Wen from afar.

Instantly, she felt the terrifying aura on Gao Wen, pressing down on people like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

"That guy... is even stronger than that Xiang Keluo?!"

"Xiang Keluo wouldn't last a single move against him."

"For real?!"

Reiju wanted to press further.

But Zoro had no time to spare; he hoisted Sanji onto his shoulder and sprinted backward at full speed, as if even a moment's delay would bring some monster down upon them.

Seeing this, Reiju gritted her teeth, activated the battle boots on her feet, and instantly accelerated to chase after Zoro's figure.

Halfway there.

Reiju couldn't help but look back, seeing only countless pirates surging into the port like a tide.

Brandishing the blades and spears in their hands, they charged toward the figure standing in the middle harbor, while roar after roar, brimming with greedy desire, erupted from the pitch-black crowd.

"Though we don't know why the defense force withdrew, as long as we take out this guy now, the Pluton blueprints will be ours!"

"That's right!"

"He's just one man; even if he's a monster among the Marines, he's no match for us!"

"We could drown him with just one spit each!"

(End of Chapter)